Mode mapping in paraxial lossless optics

A Collins transformation maps an orthonormal set of Hermite-Gaussian modes into an orthonormal set of beams with a Gaussian envelope. Among these beams are Laguerre-Gaussian beams and the recently introduced Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian beams. Compact expressions for the complex field amplitudes of these modes are derived. The results obtained are useful for description of the propagation of light through first-order optical systems, for the solution of the phase-retrieval problem by noninterferometric techniques, and for the design of mode converters and information processing systems. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America